A Nomadic Hermit
by RainAmbrosius
Summary: Tsuna had always been timid, weak, clumsy and, well, no good at anything for as long as he could remember. Well...almost everything. With his Pokémon at his side and new dangers entering his life, Tsuna will have to pull all the stops to ensure his sanity remains intact. If only he never went back home.
1. Past to Present

AN: I don't own KHR or PKMN but I sure as hell own the plot and their actions.

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The jungle was loud with the noise of various Pokémon. It was nearly deafening but welcome all the same. It was like a symphony but with no conductor.

The leaves crunched and the ground shook with tremors at every thudding step and bushes rustled at every turn through the undergrowth. Meandering through the vegetation came a large Venusaur, in its prime. Looking closer, under the leaves of its flower, was a small tuft of brown peaking out.

A human slept on the giant's back, sleeping like the dead through the immense noise surrounding them. He wore old torn clothes that were too faded and stained to tell what color they were supposed to be.

His hiking boots were muddy to the point that the actual leather couldn't be seen and he odd twig and leaf protruded from his wild mane of hair, which stuck out in every direction.

His name was Tsunayoshi Sawada, or Tsuna as his friend's might have called him, that is, if he had ever had any friends. Ostracized and either ignored or bullied by his peers, Tsuna had never had much luck among other people.

Only his mother seemed to care about him but that all but stopped once the twins were born. Of course he never blamed her. She had her hands full with them in the house.

But enough about that,

The Venusaur came to a stop in a small clearing near a stream that seemed more like a river, and commenced with eating some berries from a nearby bush. Another flash of brown appeared on his back, this one was from an Eevee.

Sleepily it looked around before stretching and beginning to prod the sleeping boy.

"Five more minutes…" was all the small ball of fluff got for its efforts. "Eevee eev vee vee!" It tried again. This time the Venusaur let out a lazy "Saur." And, with a single vine, dumped the teenager onto the forest floor.

"Hieeee!" his shriek caught the attention of some Pokémon in the nearby treetops and actually startled a few butterfree into the air. " Ow, what was that for?" He complained, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.

"Vee." The Eevee jumped down next to him, only the top of his head showing in the long grass. Finally Tsuna looked around at the clearing. There were a few berry bushes that were harvestable and fresh water. It was the perfect place to set up camp for the night.

Speaking of night, taking a glance upwards the sky was becoming orange and darkness fell faster in the jungle than in most places.

Standing up and stretching out his cramped muscles, Tsuna pulled a pack off of the Venusaur's leafy back and gave him a pat on the head as he stumbled towards the middle of the clearing.

"Thanks for the ride Venusaur. My feet were really starting to hurt back there." He began unpacking his things and was answered with a 'No Problem' "Saur."

For three years now Tsuna had gone through this routine and it came with practiced ease, although there were still moments where his clumsiness got the best of him, it didn't stop him from starting dinner. He did have a few mouths to feed after all.

"Alright, come out you guys!" Tsuna called as he released his Pokémon from their pokéballs. He had had this small group of Pokémon for years now.

He got his Gyrados as a magikarp one day when he found him flopping in a puddle the day after a storm at the age of seven. He nursed it back to health and often likened this particular Pokémon to be like him.

Everyone thought the magikarp was a useless Pokémon, much like they thought he was useless, but with enough care and nurture, it evolved into a fierce and powerful Gyrados.

Tsuna hoped that one day he would, in a sense, evolve into something more, just like his friend did.

Gyrados immediately dived into the water with a roar and managed to scare away much of the wild life.

His Flaafy he found in a field by a mountain range when he was traveling. Tsuna believed someone had abandoned it seeing how quickly she began to follow him when she saw him walking on the dirt path.

Back then she was just a little Mareep and Tsuna didn't have the heart to leave her there so he took her along on his journey. That was perhaps three years ago when he was thirteen.

She was a tough little thing and loved to help. Even if that meant fetching some water or carrying pans to him when he was cooking. She ran up to him awaiting orders and seeing if she could help.

His trickster of a Gengar was another story entirely. He took off right after release, most likely to scare some poor innocent Pokémon senseless.

That was exactly how Tsuna had met Gengar. Being scared senseless and running for his life.

Gengar never stopped trying and Tsuna actually developed a special sixth sense for when his Gengar came lurking around.

They met in an old house when Tsuna was only eleven. He ran inside trying to escape the bullies but never suspected to be harassed by a thing of nightmares. Just when he thought he was going to die, cornered in the muggy master bedroom, it gave Tsuna a slobbery lick on the face and broke into loud peals of laughter.

Needless to say Tsuna became confused and a bit irritated before stupidly scolding the ghost Pokémon. This led to a battle unlike any that house had ever witnessed and after a few holes in the walls, Tsuna had successfully captured a new Pokémon.

It took all of his will the next day to finally release his new Gengar out of the pokéball again. Those were memories in their early friendship that Tsuna would like to forget ever happened so to spare him some misery we will not go into too much detail.

As for how he got his Hydreigon… Tsuna honestly had no clue that the cute little Deino that had begged him for scraps at a festival would turn into such a behemoth.

Not to say that he regrets doing so but still he can't help but to think how this is truly one Pokémon he would have never imagined having. He did some reading up on what kind of Pokémon he acquired through sheer luck and very little of it was good news for the trainer.

Highly aggressive and danger to the trainer seemed to pop up far too often for his comfort level. Luckily, so far Tsuna had only been met with a very cuddly, huge Pokémon.

It was enough to make him question whether the authors had ever actually befriended a Hydreigon before. Perhaps, Tsuna thought as his Hydreigon flew off into the sunset looking for a meal, he merely succeeded in raising his the right way.

He turned back to check on Flaafy who had been left in charge of stirring the soup and caught sight of his first Pokémon he ever got, scouting the area from on top of a fallen tree trunk.

Tsuna's mom had actually given him Eevee an egg when he was just five years old. He guessed it was her way of making sure he wasn't too lonely while still being able to dote on the twins.

Tsuna couldn't be bothered to care at the time or even now for the reason he got Eevee. He was just glad to have such a great friend.

Eevee had been his only friend in his life and it wasn't until he found his Gyrados that he got another friend. He was brave and never ran from a fight if he could help it.

The day their eyes met was the happiest day of Tsuna's life. They still do everything together just as they did during their youngest years.

His Venusaur also arrived as a gift, but this time it was his grandpa that sent him. From that day on his grandpa forever cemented himself as one of Tsuna's favorite persons.

His bulbasaur grew fast, like a plant, and always seemed pretty relaxed when it wasn't battle time. On the field however, he became a totally different Pokémon and fought until he couldn't stand any more.

It was his Venusaur that pushed Tsuna to actually train his Pokémon after a close call with a swarm of beedrill in their youth. He still shivered every time he glanced upon one, whether it be nearby or a picture in a book, he felt that shadow of a sting.

Rarely did he ever actually battle anyone but he would train against wild Pokémon, targets, and would allow his Pokémon to challenge each other in a controlled fight. Those were always the most difficult to do but somehow it always worked out.

Honestly, Tsuna had no idea how strong his Pokémon might be in a real battle with other trainers and it made him nervous to think of them getting hurt in a fight.

Either way it made Tsuna extremely nervous to even think about a battle with someone else. He was deep in an unmapped jungle for more than one reason. Aside from getting lost off the trail again he really did not want to get randomly challenged by a creepy stranger that stalks the roads.

Pokémon trainers could be really creepy like that. It's why he takes the long way around so often.

"Thanks for the help Flaafy. Can you ring the bell for dinner?" He asked his pink Pokémon, already knowing she would eagerly accomplish the task.

"Flaa~" She went to the grey pack laying on the floor a few feet away and dug through for a little cowbell.

Preparation of the food had taken a little less than an hour and Tsuna was feeling more than a bit starved. His stomach could rival a munchlax's and grumbled for the delicious smelling soup that he had cooked for himself.

He poured healthy servings of Pokémon food for his friends in varying amounts. Luckily his bigger Pokémon enjoyed looking for their own food in the surrounding lush jungle so there was enough for all of them.

It was getting rather dark and the silhouette of a Hydreigon appeared in the sky overhead. That creepy feeling of his Gengar appearing set his hairs on end.

Gyrados slithered out of the water like a great water serpent, his Venusaur stopped eating the bushes, Eevee ran to his bowl, waiting for perhaps the best food ever, and Flaafy busied herself with putting the bell away first.

"I hope you left some room in there." He said to the group, his Venusaur in particular. He hadn't stopped munching since they arrived in the clearing over an hour ago.

When all the Pokémon were served food, Tsuna finally allowed himself some of his own. If there was one thing that Tsuna was sure he could do, it was that he could cook.

It took a lot of trial and error and almost burning a bunch of shit down but eventually (many grueling years later) he mastered the culinary arts. He didn't know how it compared to other people's food but if his Pokémon liked it then that was all he needed to think he was a good chef.

The food went fast with minimal squabbles and the motley group sat round the small fire, enjoying the warmth and companionship of each other.

It was these moments that made Tsuna truly happy of his decision to leave home and go on his own journey despite the innumerable odds stacked against him.

He had left when he had turned ten as most kids did at his age. For a while he had stayed relatively close to home. Never a week's journey by foot from it but many trainers he had known as bullies in his youth also roamed the areas nearby and it forced him to moving further out.

He actually had gone to a few different regions all around, and to pay for food or the occasional change of clothes and medicine, he helped Pokémon professors with their research. He started this when he was thirteen seeing as he didn't want to burden his mother further than he already had.

One professor who constantly called on him for jobs no matter which region he was currently in was one very creepy Prof. Verde. He was always asking for something different and somehow Tsuna always got the job done.

Don't bother asking how. Half the time Tsuna isn't really quite sure. The number of times he's almost faced death because of the weather, wild Pokémon, and mostly him stumbling into deathtraps are impossible to count.

He was now sixteen and could safely say he has been through almost every possible experience there is in his six years of adventure. Every single one, except for any involving people.

Six years and he still hadn't gotten won a gym badge, gotten a girlfriend, made any real friends, and had yet to return home again since leaving.

There was never a good enough reason to go back and be reminded that he was still Dame-Tsuna. He knew his younger brothers would call him that without a doubt. They had taken it up as soon as they could talk.

He still called home to chat with his mother occasionally. Tsuna, after all, did not want to worry her with his absence. She was still his loving mother who accepted him for who he was but he wouldn't kid himself into thinking she was proud of him either.

Tsuna shook himself from his dark thoughts and looked up in time to get a face full of feathers. "HIIIEEEE!" Tsuna fell backwards from his sitting position onto his back from the force.

A Pidgey was not much better off from where it had crash-landed next to him, its wings outspread and laying on its back as well. On one of the little bird Pokémon's feet was a letter neatly tied there with Tsuna's name on it.

Tsuna groaned as he rubbed his aching face and sat up. Why was the world so interested in hurting him there?

His Gengar meanwhile floated back into the clearing and was clearly trying and failing to hold back his amused laughter. Tsuna sent him what he hoped was a withering glare but could be more likened to a pout.

"Oh no! Are you alright?!" He quickly turned to the source of impact and picked it up gently. The Pidgey let out a wavering coo as if to say, 'Just fine'.

Tsuna let out a relieved sigh as the Pidgey recovered enough to stand but it fluttered in panic when it spotted the laughing Gengar nearby. It would seem that Gengar was responsible for the current state of affairs.

Tsuna quickly tried to reassure the Pidgey that he was not in danger and that Gengar wasn't dangerous. "Gengar that's not helping!" He shouted at the ghost Pokémon over his shoulder where it continued making scary faces at the poor Pidgey.

A warning zap from Flaafy set the mischievous figure in his place and the pink sheep made her way to Tsuna's side, hoping to aid him in calming the almost hysterical bird down.

Finally the Pidgey calmed enough to deliver its parcel to Tsuna.

Untying the letter from the bird Pokémon's leg, Tsuna quickly deduced that it was from his mom, but what it was for he didn't really know. He couldn't think of any events like birthdays or such as being the reason for the letter.

He thanked the bird Pokémon and it took off, not wanting to be anywhere near a Gengar for as long as it lived.

Tsuna went closer to the fire to read the letter, his Pokémon all peering over his shoulder at the contents.

Most of it had to do with how much she loved him and all that blather about boring life back home and current achievements of the twins. They each had six gym badges and were preparing to get the seventh.

But then, as though it was an afterthought, she mentioned he had a cousin that was visiting long term and was interested in meeting him. Apparently he brought a small entourage of friends to liven up the household.

"I didn't know I had a cousin." He said with disbelief amongst his Pokémon, all of which were confused as well. Was it normal to not know you had a cousin? Tsuna didn't think so but he let it slide. He would never mention this lack of knowledge to anyone else for the sake of what dignity he had.

Tsuna sat still, thinking his next plan of actions over. Sure he 'technically' was lost but he could always just have Hydreigon fly him out of the jungle so no issues getting back to civilization. The real issue came of whether he wanted to or not.

His cousin was supposed to be sticking around for a while so Tsuna could always put it off. He really didn't want to go back. Not when his brother's would probably make him look even more like a loser than he already did.

'This is why I don't ever even think about going back home.' He thought in frustration and shook the negative thoughts away.

It could be just a quick one or two day visit. Meet his cousin, say hi, and then scram out of there. His brother's might not even be home when he stops by.

Besides, what if his cousin is really nice? Tsuna could be passing up the perfect opportunity of making a friend. Mom did say that his cousin was interested in meeting him.

…But…Tsuna's brother's have probably already told his mystery cousin how much of a loser he is and everything. Tsuna plunged back into an air of depression that was almost palpable.

A nudge at his side made him look over at his Eevee. He reminded Tsuna that his friends were waiting on his decision. They were all around him looking at him expectantly for where they would go next.

Glancing down at his loyal and brave companion of eleven years now, Tsuna decided to be more like his Eevee for once. He was going to be brave and go back home to meet this cousin of his.

"I'm going to need some new clothes. Can't let mom see me like this now can I?" He asked his Pokémon. It was decided. "Tomorrow we start for home."

* * *

Hellz yeah! Finally got this idea off my chest and damn am I satisfied with it. Gonna be a little difficult but I shall do my best to keep all the characters IN character. This is mostly made to help me improve my writing skillz since I think it's shit compared to some of my favorite authors.

Reviews would be nice. Especially if you have any ideas for the name of the twins. They honestly were not planned for but shit happens and they kinda worked out for this idea.


	2. To Civilization

**AN:It's obvious I don't own KHR or Pokemon.**

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The next day found Tsuna and his Pokémon steadily preparing for the trip back to civilization, or more like Tsuna trying to postpone his trip back to civilization.

"The letter said he was going to be there awhile so no rush." He tried to placate his Eevee who was head-butting him to the river for a small bath. "B-but the water's col-HIIEEE!" He was cut off as he managed to slip on the banking and fall into the water.

Submerged for only a moment, Tsuna burst out of the water gasping and shivering. "C-c-cold!" His teeth were chattering and his old clothes were soaked through. His dirty form polluted the water and streams of murky brown were washed away from him.

His Eevee sat back and shook its head with a sigh. His trainer was always clumsy and never took care of himself properly so it was up to the little fox Pokémon to make sure his trainer was healthy and clean.

Gengar floated around the surface of the water, laughing and pointing at a shivering waterlogged Tsuna who staggered to his feet in the shallows. The laughing Pokémon was too distracted to notice the looming figure of Gyarados who made good on attacking with splash.

It was super effective.

Gengar was shocked into silence at the surprising onslaught of water and floated there stunned and wide eyed. He turned to Gyarados, who was leering over him, slowly. His face morphed into one of mirth and a water fight started.

Tsuna didn't even have to do a thing to get a highly effective cold shower that morning. His Pokémon did all the work with their silly mock battle. Gengar just didn't know how to lose.

Tsuna had never been more grateful to the creator of pokéballs before then.

Changing into slightly less tattered clothes and a pair of faded black running shoes, Tsuna finally conceded to Eevee's demands that they get on their way. Returning all of his Pokémon except for Hydreigon and Eevee himself, the brunet pulled out the map and set flight for the coast.

With a compass and a non-directionally challenged Eevee at his side, Tsuna and his crew were flying in the right direction.

"S-steady Hydreigon!" Tsuna may have gotten over his fear of flying for the most part but it was still a long drop down from their altitude. He preferred ground travel to this no matter how fast it is.

He clung tightly to his Pokémon and tried not to look down. The warm wind currents were pushing them higher in the sky as Hydreigon glided towards the costal city of Brisbane.

His mom was lucky she called when she did. A week later and he would have been in Africa digging up clues on Groudon for Verde or maybe even chasing the thousand year old trail for Jirachi.

At least, that's what one of his fellow comrades under Verde's dictatorship thought he would have to do as his next job. The only thing holding him off was a complication with the time portal tracker. Verde really wanted to find Celebi sometime this year.

Tsuna honestly thought it was all made up. There was no way that stuff actually existed right? Right.

Until he fixed this imaginary machine, Tsuna was free and on vacation in Australia. Or he was on vacation; he had to admit his mom had perfect timing for calling him back when she did.

As the turbulence died down Tsuna allowed himself to relax his grip on Hydreigon's neck. There were only a few wispy clouds in the sky and already the wilds were giving way to civilization below them.

This was Tsuna's favorite part of the flying experience. It was peaceful and all the problems and worries seemed so small and far away at this height. Not to mention how smooth the flight was from here. No more sudden shifts, turning or dives that made his stomach drop.

Just a nice breezy, smooth ride surrounded by blue and the occasional puff of white in the distance. He could swear some of those clouds were actually some Altaria flying around.

Eevee sat between Tsuna's legs and was also enjoying the flight. The wind ruffled his brown pelt and the hot sun kept all three flyers from becoming cold.

After an hour of flight the coast came into view on the horizon and reminded Tsuna that he had to decide how they would get the rest of the way to Japan.

He had two options: Airplane or Ship.

One option would get him there within a day and the other could take a few days. How many, Tsuna wouldn't know, but it would give him extra time to not be home and shorten his moment of arrival home with the inevitable employment of Verde. The less time in his old town the better for his mental health.

Tsuna wouldn't be able to say no to the mad scientist when he gave him a job. He never could and only because Verde scared the life out of him. Something about those cold calculating eyes, the lack of expression, and monotonous robot-like voice just sent waves of fear down his spine.

Nope, there was no way he could say no to him. He liked his organs where they were thank you very much. He's only ever met the professor once but it was one time too many.

All Verde talk aside, the worst part of air travel was coming up. Soon Hydreigon would begin his descent and that usually meant a steep spiraling dive.

Tsuna prepared for the worst landing ever and even Eevee crouched down in preparation for the inevitable barrel roll. As Tsuna clung like a koala he prayed to any god who would listen, even Buddha.

When Hydreigon caught sight of the bright red roof of the Pokémon Center of Brisbane he did all of the before mentioned actions, barrel rolled into a gut wrenching spiral dive.

He only stopped spinning halfway down the length of the nearest skyscraper and pulled an abrupt stop not ten feet from the ground. He nearly lost his passengers but Tsuna's girly scream was totally worth it in the end.

Tsuna toppled off of his Pokémon and landed harshly on the ground. Even his Eevee was wobbly when he jumped off. "…Hydreigon…" Hydreigon looked down at Tsuna, "Return."

A beam of red and the sidewalk was once again free to use. Pedestrians were staring and whispered to each other as they slowly passed by. Trainers fly in all the time but it isn't often that they come in like that.

Mentally checking himself for damage, Tsuna lifted himself to his feet and allowed Eevee to jump to his shoulder for a ride.

He tripped on his way into the Pokémon center and proceeded to ask the nurse if she would give his Pokémon a check up. She gladly took them and went to the magical machine of healing.

Pokémon centers were heaven sent. If a trainer needed medical on their Pokémon, it was free. If they needed a place to crash, it was free. If they needed to make calls or use the Internet, it was free. And at the moment, Tsuna needed all three.

He would stay there for the night and check for any boats headed to japan. There was no way he was going into the air so soon after his previous experience.

Spending about ten minutes trying to navigate the web, Tsuna finally found what he was looking for; a roster of ships and times. A cargo ship was the only one leaving to japan anytime soon.

He jotted down the information on a crummy notepad. Tsuna would have to hope they allowed him passage or he might have to take a plane after all. Sure he could probably try flying to japan or swimming with his Pokémon, but it was a long and dangerous trip and Tsuna didn't want to put his Pokémon through it.

He logged off and went back to the nurse who had called him. "Your Pokémon are in perfect health." She said with a smile. Tsuna thanked her and gathered the courage to ask her for a room, "T-thank you, um do you by any chance have a spare room I could use for the night?" He ended up looking at his shoes and blushing while he asked. He really hated this part. It was always awkward for him.

The nurse couldn't help but to giggle at the teen's shyness, "Of course." She set him up with a small room on the second floor of the center and he immediately prepared for a shopping trip. It was time for a fresh change of clothes and maybe some new shoes. His were just about ruined now.

Grabbing his wallet and pokéballs, Tsuna set off for the streets. If there was one thing Tsuna could appreciate about the city it was that people didn't stare much. They were probably desensitized by far worse sights than him.

He wandered a bit and eventually found the shopping district. The teen tried looking for a discount store and sales. He may have a job, sort of, but it was beyond irregular and Tsuna was always fearful of being left high and dry at the worst of times.

The crowds of people made it difficult to maneuver and he often ended up pushed into the walls or being elbowed. Already he could feel the bruises forming.

Just when he thought he found a store and was about to go inside for a look, an unfortunately familiar voice called his name over the noise of the crowd.

"Tsu-chan~!"

* * *

**Brownie points if you know who that was. Anyways, sorry this was more of a filler chapter. I'm stalling and trying to come up with shit for the damn plot. I never thought any of this through and whatever might happen is left to speculation. If any readers have any ideas, I am more than willing to listen.**

**I never thought planning geographically would be so hard. I think I've given some nice hints of where some of the Pokemon generations have been generally placed. It was difficult choosing where to place Tsuna for this stuff but Australia worked out better in this instance. **

**On a final note, I did name the twins so no issues with them. Except... ugh I need to figure out their Pokemon too. Curses. =_="**

**Enjoy.**


	3. Old Friends

**AN: Do I really have to say it? I don't own nothing ****character-wise.**

* * *

Tsuna gathered his courage and decided to face the incoming threat to his respectable self's image. He could have tried to run but last time didn't really work out that well.

Turning to the source of his despair he saw a white tuft of hair making its way towards him, easily maneuvering through the crowds of people.

Byakuran was in town and Tsuna could not believe for a second that it was by accident that they met. Especially considering that the white haired menace preferred to his home territory of Italy.

"Tsu-chan! Its been so long!" Byakuran preceded to glomp the unfortunate brunet. Many people turned to the commotion but continued walking for the most part.

Still some were whispering about it and weren't being very quiet either, "Aw that's adorable." "So cute!" "I ship that."

Tsuna was mortified at the last comment and quickly ripped himself away from Byakuran. He may not be all that sociable or know all the terms but he sure as hell knew the jest of that last one.

"Hiee! B-Byakuran what are you doing here?!" Tsuna could feel the blush burned on his face and became even more embarrassed because of it. He held his hands in front of himself incase of another hug attack from the taller man.

He couldn't understand why this always had to happen. No matter what, when or where he met with Byakuran, it had become a habit of the white haired man to embarrass Tsuna at any possible moment, especially on reunions.

It was a ritual that began from the first moment they met on a cruise ship off the coast of London. From the moment the two caught eyes, Tsuna knew his life would change in some way.

He didn't know whether it would be for good or bad and to this day he still questions what impact it has made on his life.

He was right of course. When he had turned away from the lavender gaze he had not expected a sudden squeal of, "So Cute!" and in the next moment to be lifted off the ground in a bone crushing hug. Any tighter and Tsuna was certain his ribs would have cracked from the pressure.

For the rest of the ride Byakuran seemed to make it his goal to make Tsuna his new best friend and stuck to him like glue. The poor boy had never eaten so many sweets before in his life.

As a teenager with limited money, and at a time before he had worked for Verde, Tsuna was more than a bit nervous about paying for all the extra foods but he didn't have to worry for long.

Turns out the ship had belonged to Byakuran.

They traveled for a while together on land but responsibilities called the albino away, much to Tsuna's confusingly dejected relief. He still liked his privacy and solitude but also missed being able to talk with another person. It was a confusing disorder that Tsuna was caught in psychologically.

Work and distance still didn't stop the marshmallow menace from popping up randomly.

The brunet was certain he was somehow being traced but had no proof to back it up. How else was it possible for his new friend to always find him?

Stalker habits aside, he supposed that being friends with someone as obtusely pushy like Byakuran did wonders for his backbone. He had to develop ways to refuse odd requests somehow, unless he wanted to be dressed in the worst possible designed outfits to ever be created.

Even Tsuna, who was a fashion disaster, knew that such atrocious articles of clothing should never have graced the eyes of the living.

Don't get him wrong, he liked Byakuran, but the man and his radical ideas were just a bit too much for the teen to handle alone.

Tsuna often felt like he was the grown up and Byakuran was a hyperactive child…a very big hyperactive child but a child nonetheless. Thankfully there was a very welcomed third party that was around to help keep things from becoming too chaotic.

"I missed you so much Tsu-chan! It's been horrible without you around! Sho-chan's been making me do so much work!" Again with the child act, but this _was_ Byakuran. He still didn't answer Tsuna's question.

Just then a red head pushed his way over to them. "Byakuran-san! Stop ditching your work!" He was actually waving a handful of paperwork around and looked rather frazzled.

The red head's cheeks were just as bright as his hair and from his gasping Tsuna would hazard a guess that he had been chasing the elusive Byakuran for quite awhile. It wasn't surprising since the white haired man always skivvied off of work any chance he got.

The day Byakuran voluntarily did work was the day that hell would freeze over and then defrost only to flood the earth with noxious fumes. It was with commendable effort that the red head got Byakuran to do anything at all.

"Save me Tsu-chan!" he pushed the smaller boy in front of him and hid behind him for protection.

It wasn't very effective.

It had been a lot longer since Tsuna had gotten to see Shoichi. The other had always been busy with work but they became fast friends due to having similar temperaments. Not to mention dealing with Byakuran brought on a kind of camaraderie between the two.

A smile made its way onto Tsuna's face, "Irie-san!" He waved him over. "What are you doing here? It's good to see you." It was always a real treat to catch the ginger away from a computer screen.

Shoichi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Tsuna how many times do I have to tell you? You can call me Shoichi." he lightly scolded him but it wasn't very effectual seeing as his face mirrored Tsuna's.

While they caught up with each other they ignored Byakuran who was flitting about them trying to get attention. "Mou! No fair! Stop ignoring me!" His attempts were futile seeing as the both of them were experienced in the specialized field of ignoring annoying white heads.

"So what brings you into the city? Last I heard you couldn't stand for places like this." Shoichi started and Tsuna continued, "Ah, well I was going to look for a ship back home. My mom wanted me to meet some cousin of mine." They had begun walking into the store Tsuna had originally intended to enter. It was an old thrift shop, filled with odds and ends.

"Really? I had no clue you had a cousin. Do you know his name?" They were thoughtlessly sifting through some jackets on sale. "Not a clue. She sent the letter to me by Pidgey but now that I think about it, for the entire three pages there was no mention of his name. Guess she forgot." Tsuna frowned a bit at that. He hadn't even really thought about the name thing. He figured that he would find out as soon as he returned home.

Shoichi seemed skeptical, "Three pages and she forgets to tell you the name of your cousin that you're heading all the way back home for?" Byakuran was giving Tsuna armfuls of clothing while he was distracted and was flitting to and fro. "She's mom." And that statement from Tsuna settled that matter.

Shoichi held up a tacky pokeball print shirt and quickly put it down with a grimace of distaste. "If you say so Tsuna. But have you remembered to let her know that you're heading home?"

He looked up in time to see Tsuna's face morph from blank to panicked horror. "So you forgot." The red head shook his head in incredulity and huffed at the kid's forgetfulness. The apple definitely doesn't fall far from the tree.

Tsuna face palmed at his own idiocy. It had never crossed his mind that he should have called or let his mom know in some form of communication that he would be going home at all.

His shift in movement brought Tsuna's attention to the pile of clothing in his arms. "W-what?" Was that a Jigglypuff sweater? "Byakuran what is this?" His attention was turned on the hyper, supposed to be an adult, man who was shifting through another rack of clothing and humming off key.

"Those are all clothes that will look good on you Tsu-chan. Do you like them?" His smile was blindingly bright as he pulled out a pair of Psyduck print shorts. Tsuna meanwhile sweat dropped and put the pile down to sort through for anything that was actually worth wearing. He was cheap, not desperate.

Shopping took a lot longer than the brunette would have liked, but after playing dress up for Byakuran he did find a few good things that he deemed passable.

His favorite was the orange jacket with the number twenty-seven on the back which he was currently wearing as they ate ice cream in a nearby plaza. It had been more than a few weeks since his last taste of the cold sweet treat and Tsuna planned to enjoy it.

For once, since meeting up, all three were silent as they sat on a bench and watched pedestrians walk by. It was times like these that Tsuna missed most whenever he went on long expeditions into the wilds.

Looking at them it was rather funny. Shoichi had strawberry, Tsuna in the middle had chocolate, and Byakuran on his left ate vanilla. Tsuna wished he had a camera so he could take a picture.

It took extreme will power for the brunet not to laugh but he disguised his smile behind the cone for as long as he could. Unfortunately, ice cream time passed too quickly for their liking, but all good things come to an end eventually.

Byakuran of course was the first one to break the silence, "So how are you going to get back to Japan Tsu-chan?" He would rather ask why he _really_ was going back, but that could wait. He hadn't heard their conversation in the store since he was too busy fighting with a six-year-old girl over a cute Jigglypuff sweater for his friend.

"A-ah, well I was actually going to see if I could catch a ship going that way." The teen scratched the back of his head as habit. He still wasn't sure about it. Things would probably be easier if he went back by plane but that was faster and way more expensive than he liked.

Byakuran caught onto his body language and a plan hatched in his mind. Shoichi could already tell what was going to happen next just by the look on Byakuran's face and leaned back on the bench. It wasn't like he would have any objections about it so he enjoyed his break while he could.

While they didn't know exactly why Tsuna avoided Japan like the plague, they did know how strong his reluctance was to go there.

"Ne, Tsu-chan, I can fly you back if you're willing to wait a few days." He said it so easily that Tsuna wasn't sure if he heard right, "W-what? You're not serious, are you?" He didn't want to impose.

"Of course I am! And you can keep things from getting too boring in the meantime. You're like a walking novella Tsu-chan, but better!" If they were walking Tsuna would have tripped and face planted by then. Good thing he was still seated.

Embarrassment aside, he quickly followed up with "Y-you don't have to Byakuran." He began but was cut off quickly by the man himself, "I insist Tsu-chan. What kind of friend would I be if I allowed you to travel in anything but luxury?"

Tsuna didn't have an argument ready for that. Sometimes he really wondered why Byakuran chose him as a friend but he didn't think too hard on it. Maybe it was just the universe's way of repaying him for all the bad things.

Either way, he found he couldn't deny his friend his company and really didn't want to pass up a perfect opportunity like this. He wouldn't have to be bored on a long sea voyage, or worry about a long stay in Japan this way. Tsuna would be able to hang out with two of his few friends in the world instead.

The smile that found its way to his face stunned both of his companions and they could swear that they saw sparkling flowers surrounding him. "Thank you Byakuran, I don't know how to repay you."

"S-so…" the look on Byakuran's face was starting to worry Tsuna, "Um Byakura-ack!" The teen quickly found himself being squeezed in another bone crushing hug. "SO CUTE!" The yell could be heard for miles around as Byakuran proceeded to strangle Tsuna with his affections.

Shoichi could only wait on standby at the childish actions, but he was glad for Tsuna's reappearance into their lives. It was really boring without him around.

He decided to relax while Tsuna attempted to extract himself from a very huggy Byakuran and enjoyed some more sun before they were forced back into buildings for more business meetings.

It was a real drag to be stuck in office buildings on such nice days but work was work. Now if only he could get Byakuran to do his paperwork.

"Irie-san! Help!"

Yeah, Tsuna was definitely going to be a great comic relief in their busy and boring lives.

* * *

**Finally got it done. Sheesh what a week. And I still have an exam tomorrow. Be grateful I wasted time on dis s****hiz. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. And really, how could you miss who I was hinting at in the last chapter? Fo shame!**

**Another filler done while I stretch my brain for anyway to actually do with this story. Huff, not very many peeps are forth coming in the idea department but it would be most useful. Warning to any future writers, have a vague idea of how you want to end a story before publishing. It will save you many a headache.**

**Alrighty, enough of my complaining. I hope you enjoyed and that I was able to convey Tsuna's struggle with human relationships. It was rather difficult balancing the fact that he has a love/hate thing going on in the companionship area. Poor thing.**

**Special thanks to whoever lalala is for the wonderfully page long comments. *winky face* Loved it and it sure as sh*t helped me think of a few things that I haven't yet thought about.**

**R&R peeps.**


	4. Panic in the Office

**AN: Here you go you vultures. I don't own nothing.**

* * *

It was another beautiful day in Australia and Tsuna had high hopes that it would be another 'normal' day.

The plan was to leave early the next morning for Japan on one of Byakuran's personal jets. He had flown on one before and it was one of his more peaceful flights in the skies.

There was hardly a sound from the engines and the seats were soft. Space was never a problem and there were actually cabins in the back half of the plane that had actual beds. He never wanted to part with that comfort but life outside the plane was always calling.

Still, anxiety plagued him about his soon to be family reunion. The only thing keeping Tsuna even slightly optimistic was that he could see Spanner upon arrival. He had phoned Spanner as soon as he learned the genius mechanic, as he referred to him, wasn't in their current country.

The first time they met was the first time that anyone learned he had a Hydreigon. A few robots were destroyed that day and some security systems were to be upgraded after testing their resistance to powerful attacks. Spanner had been a fan of Tsuna since and would occasionally try to entice a visit with interesting prototypes.

The chat was short due to Spanner being in the middle of a test run but it was long enough to secure a meeting with him when they arrived. The man had also requested that Tsuna test something for him while he was on his journey.

It wasn't revealed as to what it was this time and had Tsuna begging for answers soon after. Of course, it was to no avail, "Sorry Tsuna but you'll have to wait 'till you get here."

The curiosity had been eating away at him since but there was no way to find out what he was trying until he got there. There were only a few projects that he ever objected to out of hundreds he had seen so the chances of it being truly state of the art and mind blowing were high.

Shoichi had to remind Tsuna to give his mom a call before he forgot to which was replied, "I am!" Shoichi just rolled his eyes, already knowing that it had flown past the brunet's mind.

That call had taken longer to do, but only because Tsuna couldn't bring himself to actually make the call. He had dialed all the numbers but pressing that little green phone button was proving to be a lot harder than he had thought.

Bad thoughts penetrated his mind. His brothers could pick up first and tell him to get lost like before, or maybe his unknown cousin would answer. That was even worse because then Tsuna would be left talking to a complete stranger. That was a big no in his mind.

Or maybe his mom would answer and he didn't know how to talk to her. He had been avoiding conversation with the woman for years out of his own shame. How would he even start? Would 'Hi mom' even suffice?

He didn't think so and was stuck standing there looking at the device. Going home seemed like an even worse prospect than from before. If this was one of those video calls he probably would have already bolted out of the room.

The intensity with which he looked at the phone was too overdramatic for the red head's tastes, "Tsuna, it's just a phone call. Press the button." He worried about his young friend. If he couldn't even phone home then how was he supposed to go there and talk to them in person?

"J-just a mo-" Tsuna was cut off by Byakuran, "I got it Tsu-chan~" and he reached over and pressed the green button. Tsuna stood there in horrified shock while Byakuran smiled his too innocent to be innocent smile. "B-Byakuran, w-why?" The brunet was at a loss as he looked at his friend in betrayal. He found no guilt on the man's face.

The ringing on the line made his heart jolt in trepidation and Tsuna thought that he may understand why Shoichi always gets stomachaches before a big meeting. It was gut wrenching not knowing what could possibly happen next.

It rang and just as Tsuna was going to hang up because of nerves the phone went to voicemail. Luck was on his side for once, "Please leave your name and number after the beep. Beeeeep."

Snatching this opportunity, his answer was rushed and clumsy but efficient, "H-hello its Tsuna. I'll be h-home in a few days, so um, bye." He quickly hung up and nearly collapsed against the wall. He was sweating whole guns and was shaking all over. Byakuran and Shoichi were on standby a little further away from him down the hall by the door.

Byakuran was the first to say anything, "Now that wasn't so hard now was it?" He received a glare for his efforts.

Tsuna was trying to hold a grudge but staying angry beyond a minute was difficult and near impossible for him so after glaring, more like pouting, he gave up and released a sigh instead, slumping slightly before straightening and walking to his friends. "Let's just get this day over with." He had a bad feeling about the day

They had a few meetings to get to and deals to make and after that they could prepare for a long overdue flight to Japan. Byakuran wanted to include Tsuna for some strange reason but the brunet would allow this as a learning experience. He hated talking with strangers only because he had no clue how to interact. This was a chance to practice with some back up.

Most of the day was easy but a nasty surprise awaited him at the last appointment. It was something none of them had anticipated and it was only thanks to some fast thinking, desperation, and the surveillance cameras that Tsuna survived the encounter at all.

His father was the next executive on his way to the meeting room. It was by chance that the brunet had glanced at the video footage and immediately started freaking out. The other two in the room were too surprised to do anything at first and just watched him run around the room like a headless Pidove. "W-what am I going to do?!" he couldn't decide on what to do. Hide behind the curtains; go behind the couch, run out of the room…

That last one was actually very promising.

Byakuran had to grab him around the waste and hold him still just so Shoichi could ask, "Tsuna! What's wrong?"

All he got was a few unintelligible babbles. Byakuran held a hand over the younger boy's mouth to stop him, "Calm down Tsu-chan. Now when I let you go you're going to tell us exactly what's wrong okay?" Receiving a nod from the flustered teen Byakuran released him.

Tsuna took a large breath as if calming himself and straightened up from his slumped slightly hyperventilating posture, but then, "MY DAD'S HERE!" and he was nearly sobbing hysterically and made another break for the door, "I have to get out of here before he sees me!"

He almost made it out the door but Byakuran again pulled him back in, "Whoa there Tsu-chan!" He had a hell of a time holding on to the kid, "What do you mean your dad is here?" He received no answer and instead got a panicked, " There's no time! I need to hide! Now!"

Looking around and almost panicking himself, Shoichi quickly grabbed some sheet that was hanging on the couch as decoration. "I have an idea." He caught the attention of his friends and held up the patterned piece of fabric.

Iemitsu was on his way up the elevator, laughing at Colonnello and Lal as they fought, and generally making any other riders of the elevator uncomfortable. A good many got off before their actual stop just to avoid the boisterous trio.

"No it goes folded like this!" Shoichi said to Byakuran. Tsuna was between them, squirming with nerves.

Lal had just turned on her boss and was berating him instead while Colonnello nursed his sore shoulder over one of his stupid comments again.

"Hold still Tsu-chan!" This was not what Tsuna meant when he said he had to hide from his father. If he was figured out then his relations with family would be even worse off.

The three stepped off of the elevator, Iemitsu in the lead and acting a bit more business like. It wasn't much but he did have an image to keep in front of the white devil called Byakuran.

"Yes Byakuran, you have to wear this, now let me wrap it for you." Shoichi was the only one not being done up. "Tsu-chan, we match!" If they could see his face they would have seen Tsuna blushing.

The three stopped in front of the door and gathered themselves before Iemitsu reached for the door. His subordinates were on high alert incase this turned out to be some kind of trick. It wouldn't be the first time Byakuran did something unorthodox to them that nearly ended relations.

It was quiet when they walked in and there was no sign of the panic that had happened only minutes prior. Shoichi sure knew how to move fast when necessary and he did good work at it too.

They were met with the unexpected sight of Byakuran wearing a turban and some unknown woman sitting next to him wearing the traditional hijab. It was so unusual that the usually teasing Iemitsu was shocked speechless. Only years of practicing his poker face stopped his full surprise from showing and making a fool of himself.

"Welcome Iemitsu. I hope you don't mind my other guest", he gestured to the 'woman' sitting next to him. "Not at all Byakuran, but might I ask who this lovely young lady is?" He said this all charismatically while shaking Byakuran's hand and glancing at the smaller figure that hadn't moved.

Shoichi really outdid himself and their guests were fooled easily. Byakuran answered, "This is the daughter of one of my partners. Her name is nearly impossible to say right so I call her Hime-chan." Shoichi had a hell of a time trying not to laugh and had to pretend he was coughing when Lal Mirch looked his way. Dressing Tsuna as a Muslim woman was perhaps the best idea he's ever had.

Tsuna meanwhile was just trying not to give himself away. He kept his eyes downcast and made not a sound; worried his voice would give him away as a boy. The glare from the blue haired and scarred lady was really unnerving him though. The blonde was also scrutinizing him but looked far less hostile than his female counter part.

"I had no clue time had run so late, I apologize for this." Byakuran said, the fox smile he had in place however contradicted the tone of his statement. The woman turned her attention from the meek 'woman' and instead glared daggers at the white haired menace. Iemitsu remained to the naked eye, unfazed by it, much to Byakuran's hidden disappointment.

With a cheeky and way too happy attitude, Tsuna's father leaned back on the couch as though taking ownership, "It's no problem at all Byakuran, now shall we get this meeting under way?"

It was a hellacious two hours. Tsuna was only too glad when the thinly veiled threats were over and he could relax again. He didn't dare take anything off until all three had left the building.

"That was fun." Byakuran was taking off his turban as he said this. Shoichi himself was in a foul mood, "Speak for yourself." He growled and was currently clutching his stomach. "I thought Lal Mirch was going to kill us. Was it really necessary to bring up Project Rainbow?"

Tsuna tore off the sheets and wiped at the makeup around his eyes, "I can't believe we did that. And it worked!" He was so happy that he disregarded the fact that they dressed him as a woman instead of putting him in the office room right across the hallway. Life was good again.

"Of course it worked Tsu-chan, how could you doubt your feminine beauty?" This earned Byakuran an outraged squeak of, "I'm not feminine!" Tsuna's face was red with newfound embarrassment and the glory of the moment was lost. The offender soon found himself with a face full of sheets.

Shoichi just sighed from his place on the arm rest and decided to steer the conversation in another direction before Byakuran's incessant teasing could do any more damage to Tsuna's small storage of pride.

He decided a gentle and direct approach might work best, "So Tsuna, why were you so worried that your father would see you?" His question caused Tsuna to visibly deflate and Shoichi almost felt sorry for asking.

The teen on the other hand was trying to figure out what to say. His gut instinct upon seeing his dad enter the building was to hide, but now that the panic was over, he wasn't really sure why. Sure he didn't have any particular bad history with the man seeing as he didn't really know his father who was never there, but he couldn't think of a reason for panic except maybe fleeing from some terror-inducing hug.

In the end he decided to be honest, "I'm not sure why exactly but it seemed like the best idea. And my gut instinct has never been wrong so…" he trailed off not knowing what to say next.

The following silence was stifling and Tsuna dared not lift his eyes from the floor. Byakuran, not liking the mood in the room decided to break the tension, "Aw, Tsu-chan, it's okay. Not like anyone would willingly stay in the room with that Primeape. How about we go get that cake I mentioned earlier?" Tsuna sweat dropped at the tone used specifically for his father. No doubt there was some seriously bad history there.

Shoichi quipped in next, "Dinner first Byakuran-san. You're going to make Tsuna sick…again." He was giving the white haired devil a flat look as he said this.

"But Sho-chaaaaan~" He whined. "No." The red head stated, posture taking on a defensive stance, already knowing that they would be arguing all the way to one of the many restaurants in the city.

Tsuna was enjoying the show and it helped take his mind off of his dad. He followed out behind them and had to stifle a laugh when Byakuran tried latching onto Shoichi's leg. He wasn't entirely successful and next thing he knew Byakuran was all over him and gushing about cuteness.

The rush of the day was over and he could relax for a while yet.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait and grammar mistakes. I got a bad case of procrastinitus. But here you go and yes I know what I'm doing for the next chapter so don't worry about if that will ever come out. Just depends on when I get the writing vibe.

More thanks to reviewer lalala and yeah you probably should make an account. Don't know how you've survived without one. Also, thanks to Renegade Warrior and Digimage for inspirations and encouragements. You have helped me think of more events.

I shall get back here soon enough. Pokemon and KHR is just too awesome to leave for dead.


	5. Arrival

**Worst day ever. I'm not even gonna bother with disclaimer. You all know already. Ugh the shit I do for you readers. Congratulations by the way, the sudden influx of reviewers forced me to actually update. I hope your happy! ... sigh, I need to stop chilling with Karkat.**

* * *

Getting out of the city was like finally taking a breath of fresh air after trudging through the sewers all day, refreshing. In the city there were too few places where Tsuna could let his Pokémon out to stretch and it was always worrying in his mind. He hated having to keep them cooped up. It just wasn't right.

The conflicting emotions were taking a toll on Tsuna. He tried to relax and not think about what he was soon to do, but every moment his doubts had to linger over his shoulders was another moment closer to what felt like a panic attack. For the duration of the plane ride Byakuran had been all too happy to distract Tsuna from his woes.

The attack of a territorial Fearow was perhaps the only thing that could, would, and did make him want to land sooner. It was actually an interesting way to end the flight but either way Tsuna vowed to never fly in another jet with a paint job designed to make it look like a Skarmory. As cool as it looked, the dangers weren't worth it.

"C'mon Tsu-chan! It wasn't that bad." Byakuran exclaimed as they got off the jet. He was happily stretching as they walked, a large smile on his face. Next to him on his left walked a livid Tsuna. "Not bad? That was horrible! It almost took us down!" he fretted.

He ran out of steam quickly after that and mumbled a small, "Never flying in that again." Byakuran couldn't help but respond with a, "It was fun!" He didn't even have to look down at his smaller companion to know that that resounding slap had been the teen face palming.

At this point Shoichi, who had been hunched over clinging to his stomach to the left of Tsuna decided to mediate and straightened up further as his stomachache decreased in intensity. He hated his reaction to bad situations. "Perhaps," the red head started, " We should try a different paint job next time Byakuran-san."

"Aw but Sho-chan, I thought you liked the Skarmory Jet." Hit fake pout wasn't fooling either of his compatriots. " Fine fine. I'll make a normal jet just for you two." He conceded in a roundabout way as they finally reached the speedy looking red sports car.

"Y-you don't have to buy a whole other jet Byakuran." Tsuna grumbled as he climbed in the back seat while Shoichi called shotgun and Byakuran took the wheel. The car seats were probably made of leather and its sleek interior looked spotless.

"But Tsu-chan!" He revved the engine and his companions went white in sudden fear, "I want to." And he didn't give them a chance to jump out as he hit the gas, going from 0 to 100 in five seconds.

"HIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

* * *

When they finally arrived at the business building Tsuna wasn't quick enough to get out. He literally dove over the side of the car and kissed the ground with his face in a very painful way. "Ow." It still didn't detract from the relief he felt at getting out of that zooming metal deathtrap of doom.

Shoichi stumbled as he got out. His legs felt like jelly and he had the intense urge to puke out every organism in his bowels. The red head resisted but just barely. The only thing he could do was question what had allowed him to let Byakuran drive.

Byakuran himself was feeling quite smug and wasted very little time walking round the car to Tsuna and hefting him over a shoulder. "Sho-chan, you should let Spanner know we're on our way down. I don't think Tsu-chan would like a run in with those robots he's been making."

Shoichi was ambling along behind him and reached for his phone as soon as the order was given. Meanwhile the once swirly-eyed brunet began to complain and struggle. "B-Byakuran put me down! I'm fine now."

The white haired menace laughed but did put Tsuna down just as the elevator opened, missing his red head friend's conversation as he hung up. The large elevator took them down a few levels and the size of the basement levels always awed Tsuna. It also gave him the chance to let his smaller Pokémon out until they got to the larger training grounds.

"C'mon out Eevee, Flaafy." The two Pokémon shook themselves and looked around at their new surroundings. Shoichi was the one to lead the way. "He said he was in lab 48." The maze they walked through had Tsuna worried that they might be lost. Flaafy held onto his sleeve and Eevee was perched on his shoulder to make sure neither got lost.

Finally they reached the lab and the door slid open to reveal cords and metal parts lying around. Near the middle of the room, almost hidden behind a large cylindrical machine sat Spanner with a…well spanner in his hand and a lollipop in his mouth. A large Luxray was behind him holding up a large toolbox in his jaws.

"Spanner-san!" Tsuna exclaimed as he made a beeline for the mechanic who had only a few moments to set his stuff down and brace for impact as the teenager predictably tripped on wiring and crashed into him. His Luxray set its things down to speak with Flaafy and Eevee who were just as excited as Tsuna to see old friends.

"Hiee! Sorry Spanner-san!" Tsuna cried out as he tried righting himself and was blushing horribly at how badly that went. "Good to see you too Tsuna." Spanner said in his chilled out manner as though Tsuna had not just fumbled onto him like a Spinda on ice. Instead he merely ruffled the brown locks in his face.

When Tsuna finally untangled himself from Spanner he fell backwards onto the floor and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He had not meant for that to happen.

"So much enthusiasm Tsu-chan" Byakuran called out as he and Shoichi made their way over much more slowly to avoid the same fate as Tsuna. "I thought you were already done with this Span-kun." The white haired male was looking over the device in the center of the room.

"I was making sure all the parts were secure." Spanner had climbed back to his feet and helped Tsuna up. It was a simple enough looking invention. There was a small key pad and a red and green button on opposite sides on the big cylinder that came up to Spanner's waist. On top of that was a smaller cylinder casing made of glass that looked similar to a Pokémon egg case, and inside of that was a round object that looked a lot like a pokeball but was so obviously not one.

Shoichi was looking it over as well and began a conversation with Spanner using a bunch of strange jargon that Tsuna couldn't bare to keep up with. Byakuran probably wasn't much better but he was better at masking his confusion.

So instead Tsuna switched his attention to the Pokémon in the room and finally noticed the Luxray, but he remembered there being a Luxio. "Spanner-san?" the blond and red head stopped talking to look at him, "When did your Luxio evolve?" He was petting the Pokémon that was almost as big as him.

"Ah almost two months ago." Spanner said with a hint of pride in his voice and a small smile. "He's very handsome." Tsuna said with a radiant smile and giggled when the large cat like Pokémon nuzzled him for the compliment with a happy "Lux!"

"I told you you would get the girls." Spanner directed his statement to his Luxio. Tsuna immediately flushed and went on the defensive, "I am not a girl!" but Byakuran quipped in with, "But you looked so pretty dressed as a girl." Shoichi was trying to stifle a laugh behind his hand and Spanner had a puzzled expression. "Dressed as a girl?" the mechanic questioned. "Don't you dare!" Tsuna yelled at Byakuran who was just about to open his mouth. He held up his hands in surrender instead.

Shoichi regained control of himself and decided that Tsuna had been mortified enough for day. He switched topics quickly, "Spanner, why don't you give Tsuna your gift now." In all honesty the clumsy teen had forgotten about the prototype Spanner was going to push off on him.

The mechanic in question pressed a few buttons on the machine and the glass slid back to allow him to grab the metal ball inside. "This," he began holding up the strange imitation of a pokeball, " is a wireless pokeball transporter." And he placed it in Tsuna's hands. "Eh?" was Tsuna's intelligent reply.

"It works a lot like the pc storage system but the Pokémon will come directly to this machine instead." He said as Tsuna studied the ball in his hands. It had the center button to open it and two circles on either side and above it. The left was red and the right was green.

While he was busy examining the new device, Spanner continued his explanation, " The red light tells you that the pokeball has made it to our side and it stops glowing when all pokéballs are removed from here," he points to the glass cylinder. " You can keep sending pokéballs even if the light is red."

"The green light will glow only if there is a pokeball inside it to let you know." Tsuna was a bit more than overwhelmed as Spanner continued with his explanation. All he got was that it was like a pc and he could now catch more Pokémon since he refused to use the common storage system.

"Spanner-san, you're really giving me this?" he interrupted his friend's explanation. The blonde didn't even pause, "Of course." And continued with his explanation, " This is still a prototype so I haven't got the retrieval of Pokémon entirely figured out. Until I do you will have to call me directly to ask for which Pokémon you want. If you ever need to charge it a low voltage electric attack from your Flaafy will work just fine." Flaafy looked up from where she was chatting with Eevee and Luxray when she heard her name, "Flaa?"

Byakuran decided now was the perfect time to jump in with a gift of his own, "And because your phone is always dying I got you a solar energy powered cell. Now you have no excuse not to call." He held up the sleek black phone. "It's one of the newer models so we can even video chat."

Tsuna was forced to take that as well. He took a look at it and saw the screen pic was of a bag of marshmallows on a couch with the caption 'Paint me like one of your French girls'. He sweat dropped at that. 'Why?'

The burning feeling in his eyes was strong but he refused to cry. Anymore and he just might. Then Shoichi stepped forward and pulled out his own mystical present, "Tsuna, I know how much you've always wanted one so I got you your very own national pokédex."

Tsuna's eyes were the size of saucers as he gazed at the sleek orange pokédex. Was that his name engraved on it? He took it with all the reverence he could muster. So many times he had wished for one but he never knew how to get one. Usually a professor gives one to new trainers but like hell he was ever asking Verde for something. This was too much and he had no clue why he was being given anything at all.

Simultaneously all three men proclaimed, "Happy Birthday!" and confetti fell from the ceiling. Byakuran somehow procured a party whistle and a Mini Mosca carried in a huge cake. Tsuna could no longer hold back his tears and had to quickly wipe them away before he embarrassed himself further.

He had completely forgotten about his birthday. "Thank you." He managed to say as his throat constricted again. His Eevee jumped up to his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek for support. "Blow out the candles and make a wish Tsu-chan."

That day was placed in his special little memory box for best days in his life. All of the memories placed there had so far been the ones where he had made a new friend. Never before was one quite as special to be placed there but this one was.

The party was moved to a large room that had been designed to look like a natural reserve, complete with a lake for Gyarados to join in the fun and a high ceiling for Hydreigon to stretch his wings. Byakuran's Ninetales and Shoichi's Cubone also joined the party.

The food was great and the company better. All his worries melted away in lieu of the celebrations and not even his dreams were bothered by the thought of returning home.

* * *

He was almost there. Tsuna had stalled as long as possible and had done everything to put off leaving. He had even purposefully gotten lost in the building as a last ditch effort. Never the less, even he had to admit that he had to leave when the clock reached four.

Hydreigon had been more than happy to fly and was behaving for once as he took in the new territory. They had never flown here and he planned to have all the good spots mapped out. He even made a smooth landing in front of the quaint house his trainer had directed him to.

Tsuna climbed off and took a good moment to take in his old home. It had been years and the sight of it was nostalgic, but nostalgia alone wasn't enough to keep the bad feelings out. He returned Hydreigon before walking towards the door.

His pace was slow, as though he was walking to his death, which, in his mind, seemed about right. Only the comforting feeling of Eevee on his shoulder gave him the strength to ring the doorbell.

The wait from the moment he heard the muffled, "Coming!" till the door opened was the worst. He didn't know who would open it and for a moment worried if they would recognize him.

The door swung open to the surprised pair of honey brown eyes of his mother. Tsuna tried smiling but he's sure it came out as more of a grimace.

Her eyes lit up with recognition and for a moment he was worried she would cry but she pulled him into a strong hug first. "Oh Tsu-kun, you're finally home." She sniffled at the end and pulled back, still holding him within arms reach, hands on his arms as though worried he would disappear.

"Hi mom." He didn't know what else to say and that choking feeling was back in his throat again. Next thing he knew his mother had dragged him into the house and was intent on talking with her distant son.

She dragged him to the kitchen so they could talk over a cup of tea and said hurriedly, "Oh if I knew you were coming today I would have prepared a feast." She pulled out a bowl for snacks and even grabbed a small plate of pokésnacks for Eevee. "The boys are all out training for a rematch at the gym. The gym leader was a lot tougher than they expected." She said as she sat down across from Tsuna.

They stayed like that for quite awhile, catching up with each other. Tsuna told her about all the places he's been and his crazy friends. He left out the Verde part and how many times he's almost died. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

Time flew by without their notice when the door banging open and the sound of a stampeding herd of Tauros assaulted Tsuna's ear. "Mom we're home!" "Did you make dinner?" The calls of two similar but different voices came from the living room making Tsuna instantly tense.

Nana instantly perked up and called out for them, "Boys come greet Tsu-kun! He just arrived!" She was so happy and oblivious to Tsuna's dismay. He would have loved to be anywhere but where he was as the sound of approaching footsteps came closer.

He questioned whether he could get away with jumping out the window. Maybe if he was fast enough. Unfortunately they had just reached the doorway that he had his back to. Readying himself, he slowly turned to see his brothers that he hadn't seen in forever, and which he would have loved to extend to never after, and a few new faces.

None of which he was sure was his cousin or not and he wasn't about to start guessing. He knew the reunion was going to be bad but this somehow managed to be worse as an awkward and tense silence filled the air.

He was not prepared for this many people. Arceus help him if they were all his cousins, as impossible as that was.

* * *

**Omygog what the fuck did I just write? You're going to have to call me Sappy Sap McSap Sap cuz Gog! That was more fluff than I should ever be exposed to. SO many times I had to walk away. And no, none of that was planned. None. So suffer the cliff hanger for an indistinguishable amount of time. And sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I haven't proof read it. I feel like I've screwed this story over and taken the characters out of character but like hell I'm gonna rewrite this again.**

**On another note I have taken the time to go back and look at some reviews and realized that some people were asking for a pairing. While I have wondered I also have yet to actually think I should apply a pairing to this story. But hell, if you guys really want, I shall open a poll where you can tell me what kind of pairing you want. Straight, slash, incest, I don't care.**

**In the meantime feel free to leave a review and tell me what person you want with Tsuna so I know what names to put in the next poll of fate.**

**Enjoy and review.**


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